Photo: St. Michaels Harbor, ShoreRivers
By: Benjamin Ford
April 22, 2025
The Miles Riverkeeper: A Voice for the River
Summers on Maryland's Eastern Shore are best enjoyed on or near the water. Growing up, I spent Wednesday nights sailing on the Miles River, participated in weekend log canoe races, and later taught sailing to hundreds of children at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. These experiences fostered a deep connection to this special river.
The Miles River is a hub of activity, with hardworking watermen trotlining for crabs in the summer and hand-tonging or diving for oysters near its mouth in the winter. Picturesque vessels like the 1955 skipjack H.M. Krentz, the 1889 bugeye Edna E. Lockwood—the last bugeye still sailing—and the historic catboat Selina II grace its waters when the breeze is up. The red, white, and blue Patriot cruises up the Miles from St. Michaels harbor in almost all weather.
Author Hulbert Footner captured the river's beauty in 1944:
"About four miles above St. Michaels, the Miles River executes a right-angled bend and heads towards the northeast. The view from the southerly shore at this point is a never-to-be-forgotten one. You look down one long reach to the horizon, and far up the other between tree-bordered, deeply indented shores. This 12-mile river, so insignificant among the rivers of earth, nevertheless sweeps out to the bay with all the majesty of another Amazon."
Despite its idyllic nature, the Miles River faces environmental challenges. Under the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) regulations of the U.S. Clean Water Act, the river is impaired by nutrient and sediment pollution, as well as bacteria. Trends from ShoreRivers' sampling locations within the Miles watershed show slight improvements in dissolved oxygen levels but decreasing scores for water clarity, nutrient pollution, and chlorophyll a—an indicator of algal concentrations.
Photo: Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) growing in Hunting Creek, off the Miles River. ShoreRivers
ShoreRivers is committed to enhancing the health of our local waterways through a variety of impactful programs. Since 2016, our Pumpout Boat Program has assisted recreational boaters in properly disposing of waste, preventing nutrient and bacteria pollution in our rivers, and keeping 20,000 gallons of sewage out of local waterways annually. We also actively participate in the Marylanders Grow Oysters program, aiming to plant millions of juvenile oysters to naturally filter water and provide essential habitats. Our River-Friendly Yards Program combines community education with hands-on restoration projects, encouraging the adoption of landscaping practices that reduce runoff and pollution. Additionally, ShoreRivers engages the community through programs like the submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) volunteer program, restoring underwater grasses that improve water quality and provide habitat.
Through these comprehensive initiatives, ShoreRivers continues to make significant strides in preserving and enhancing the health of our rivers, ensuring they remain vibrant and resilient for generations to come. If you would like to get involved in helping to protect Maryland's Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement, please reach out! We’d love to hear from you. ShoreRivers website
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About the Author:
As the Miles-Wye Riverkeeper, Benjamin Ford is dedicated to improving the water quality in these rivers and Eastern Bay, and ensuring that they remain bountiful, safe, healthy, and beautiful. He joined the staff of ShoreRivers in 2023.
Ben was born and raised in Talbot County, and spent his early years on the water as a sailing instructor at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, as a living shoreline technician, and as professional crew on a sailing yacht.
For the last 13 years, Ben has deepened his passion for the Chesapeake’s people and places as the program manager for the Chesapeake Semester with Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society. During the Chesapeake Semester, a 16-credit interdisciplinary experiential education program for undergraduates, students study the complex history, ecology, and culture of the Chesapeake and learn about the challenges and transitions confronting coastal communities around the world. As part of the initiative, Ben led short-term study abroad programs for undergraduates in Peru, Guatemala, Belize, and Baja Mexico.
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